good morning, monsoon, dangerous flooding expected from the carolinas, all the way up to maine as remnants of tropical storm nicole dump torrential rain on the east coast. tragic suicide, a college freshman takes his own life after a secret encounter of him in his dorm room is posted on the internet. that student's roommate and another student were behind the tape. sad passing, actor tony curtis has died. we look at his life today

september 30th, 2010. welcome today on this thursday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> i'm matt lauer. we have a wedding today on the plaza and it is raining cats and dogs as in many places up and down the east coast. you know what they say? >> good luck. >> they will have lots of luck. >> not so lucky for a lot of people to our south. a state of emergency has been declared in parts of north carolina where some areas have received well over a foot of rain this week. we'll go there live and get to al's forecast straight ahead. some major recalls to tell you about this morning, especially for parents. they involve millions of popular fisher-price toys and high chairs and a warning for parents of newborns who use popular

sleep positioners. federal officials say you should stop using them immediately. details on all of this in a few minutes. plus, there are plenty of hot spots in las vegas. this is ridiculous. the facade of a new hotel is creating what some are calling a death ray that is hot enough to melt plastic. one person at the pool said he had his hair cinched from the heat. more on that in a moment. >> let us begin with tore ren sal rains and threat of flooding on the east coast. weather channel jim cantore is on the east coast. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. if i said we set three and four and five day rainfall records, that probably doesn't mean much but when i put the numbers on it, we had 20 inches of rain in the last four days. here comes the rain again. we had enough of break this morning the waters receded a little on this road. you can see the water line. it came up another two feet when we got the period of heavy rain.

that's what we're worried about. when these periods of heavy rain come in, will they produced flooding. schools are closed and even though this is the remnant of nicole, it is worse here than yesterday in south florida. winds gusting at 50 miles an hour or so will absolutely have potential to take down trees and power lines, especially giving the saturated soil. this situation will not end the next 12 hours and all of it through the district and up north as you well know. we'll keep you posted when it gets bad and will get worse up north. >> jim cantore, for the weather channel. thank you very much. >> al is outside. go ahead. >> good morning. we have a tent for jeremy and melissa's wedding because the rain will keep coming down. we have remnants of nicole. ex-nicole but a secondary low

pressure system has developed in north carolina. we have a tornado watch from the carolinas to washington d.c. until 1:00 this afternoon, with all this moisture streaming up here. we also have the risk of strong storms from cape hatteras all the way to new york city in long island, possibility of tornados developing during this system. here's what we're expecting. we have flood watches and warnings. you can see all the heavy rains making its way up the coast during the afternoon to early tomorrow morning. this rain lasts into new england until tomorrow morning. good news is the weekend looks pretty good. flash flood watches today into tonight and have flash flood watches as well why? rainfall amount, anywhere from 3 to 5 inches of rain. inland around washington d.c., parts of eastern pennsylvania and on in to central new york, 5 to 7 inches of rain over the next 48 hours. flooding is a big problem over the next 48 hours from the carolinas here to new york.

matt. >> i'll take it, al. thank you very much. the rest of al's forecast in just a moment. now, heightened security at some of the most historic landmarks after officials in europe find credible terror plots. how concerned should we be in the u.s. and roger worked for both the bush and clinton administrations. what are sources telling you about this terror plot and why now? >> this is a real plot that dates back to the summer. the good news is u.s. and western european counter officials have been on top of it since then. it is a significant attempt by al qaeda. that's the important point to look at targets in western europe, germany, france, the middle east, potentially denmark and uk. there are conflicting reports about what type of method they're considering but bottom line, this is a threat taken very seriously. >> one report i read is it would be shooting sprees in britney and germany and france.

>> right. the way the attacks happened in 2008, where a handful of individuals with ac 47s and hand grenades killed many people and many thought why hasn't that happened in the west yet? that's one potential. there's one individual providing information that points to that type of method but not conclusive and not the only stream of threat reporting we're following now. >> that individual is that the german who was arrested in afghanistan and trained in pakistan? >> that's right. >> sadiki is providing a lot of information. some concern is that he might be seeking to influence as well as inform. bottom line, there are multiple streams of threat reporting pointing towards a potential threat in europe and sadiki is providing one threat of reporting officials are looking at. >> you also mentioned al qaeda. and osama bin laden, do we now

how significant he may have been? >> he blesses them and provides strategic guidance, not involved in day-to-day activity. if it is an al qaeda central plot, it tells us al qaeda still aspires to attack the west and didn't know if they had the capability. if this is real, they are in control of capability to do so. >> how concerned should we be they may come after us here in this country? >> i don't think this plot is related to the united states. right now, u.s. counter-terrorism officials think it's focused on europe but out of caution looking at any report that may ter pain to tpe united states. bottom line, this is european focused now. >> should americans be concerned about going abroad? >> not at all. we should travel. >> i want to talk about the bombing in time square that occurred may 1st. prosecutors just released a video showing what that bomb

could have done if it went off and looking at reports what faisal shahzad told authorities. what are they hearing? >> what's significant, faisal is going to do additional bombs and go into the city and continue to conduct attacks until he was caught or killed. that is news. the video demonstrates if shahzad had been a little more talented and smarter, he could have successfully detonated that bomb and killed dozens and this was a big plot and he was a significant operative. >> thank you very much. >> amy is here while ann is on assignment. >> good morning. we begin with federal officials trying find out what caused a highway horror yesterday in bethesda, maryland. a bus carrying sightseeing passengers plunged and the driver was killed and at least

12 passengers were hurt. rising tensions between the u.s. and pakistan. this morning, pakistan said a nato helicopter attacked a security post near the afghan border killing pakistani troops and they then blocked a vital route for supplies for u.s. and nato troops. congress members go home after not voting on the bush tax cuts. president obama addressed voters in virginia that said he had no idea how to reduce the nation's deficit. and pilot jack conroyd called the landing the most significant thing that happened to him in 32 years of flying. he praised his crew saying he was no hero, adding, he was just doing his job. hollywood legend tony curtis died last night of cardiac arrest at his home in nevada. in a career that spanned 59

years and was in "some like it hot" and the father of jamie curtis, he was 85. back to matt and vieira, certainly a huge loss. >> and jamie lee i

>> at the tropical downpours ever since after midnight last night still affecting our entire area. tornado watch in effect until 1:00. rain likely in excess of si

that's your latest weather. matt. >> thank you very much. to politics and two controversial tea party candidates making waves ir there in a respective states. nbc kelly o'donnell is in washington with this. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. politics often gets personal and confrontational. it's unusual to see major candidate pile over like this. new york's republican candidate for governor, carl paladino lost it with a reporter after paladino accused democrat andrew cuomo of cheating on his ex-wife. >> stay away from me. what evidence do you have? >> reporter: about to deliver a speech in upstate new york. >> guy, easy. >> don't touch me. >> reporter: a heated exchange erupted between tea party republican carl paladino and "new york post" reporter, fred

dicker. paladino had just given an interview to "politico" where he said, has anyone asked andrew cuomo about his paramours or why his wife left him or threw him out of the house. >> do you have any evidence for the charge you made? a simple question. >> of course i do, you will get it at the appropriate time. you're not entitled to it. >> reporter: a business man who has never run for office, paladino has been under intense scrutiny. >> this will be one hell of a year. >> reporter: he told nbc news he is an angry candidate. >> i am angry. it's okay. all right to show people you're angry. >> reporter: married 40 years, paladino has acknowledged publicly his own extramarital affair that produced a daughter now 10. he appeared furious that the "new york post" had visited the child's home. >> you send another reporter to my daughter's house and i'll take you out, buddy. >> you will take me out? how will you do that? >> watch. >> reporter: paladino and his campaign manager accused the reporter of bias.

>> you're working for cuomo. >> reporter: cuomo was divorced from robert f. kennedy's daughter, carey, sporting his run for governor. he had no comment on the accusations of infidelity and blamed it on cuomo. >> he sent his bird dogs out to make accusation is an intelligence me. that's okay? he sent his bird dogs. i don't send bird dogs to do my dirty work. >> reporter: from all that venting to off-camera exchange. delaware tea party candidate christine o'donnell denied new accusations she misrepresented her education, calling that categorically untrue. a networking profile with her photo listed the university of oxford and clairmont graduate university. o'donnell did not attend either school. she claims that profile was faked. she says she completed a summer program run by the phoenix institute at the oxford university location and attended

the clairemonth institute, not a university. o'donnell says she never created a linked in profile. linked in took that down but did not comment whether it was fake or not. issues about her education came up in the first place because she attended college years ago, only received her bachelor's degree a few weeks ago after finishing up some last minute requirements. >> kelly o'donnell from washington, thank you very much. 7:15. here's meredith. >> thank you. a warning to parents. there are a number of recalls including popular children's toys and high chairs and sleeping aids. tom is at the consumer products safety commission. >> good morning. the consumer products safety commission an canada are announcing these recalls, a lot of fisher-price brand name items here. we begin with 7 million fisher-price trikes and tough trikes sold in the u.s. and

canada. the trikes have a protruding plastic key known to cause injury to children's genitals. they are intended for children between the ages of 2 and 5, sold from january of '97 through september 2010. if you have one, fisher-price will replace that key. also replacing more than a million healthy care, easy clean and close to me high chairs. there are pegs on the back of the legs meant for storage and reports of at least 14 children being injured after falling on or against those pegs. fisher-price recalling more than 3 million infant toys sold under a number of names, baby play zone, gymnastics, ocean wonders, a choking hazard there and 120,000 little people wheelies because they can come off and cause a choking hazard. fisher-price this morning said it wants to assure its customers its products are overwhelmingly safe. we talked to the consumer

products commission chairman. >> we have now some of the strongest toy standards we ever had before. we want to give the consumers confidence we are looking at these toys to insure they're safe for their children. this recall today just happens to be four fisher-price toys with over 10 million toys being recalled. >> there's one more recall to tell you about, coming from the consumer products safety commission and fda. these sleep positioners have become very popular and some manufacturers claim they can help alleviate the risk of the child dying of sids. the fda says no evidence of that and some children have suffocated and the warning is not to use sleep positioners at all. >> massive recall. thanks. the washington state woman admitted to putting acid on her own face appeared in court the first time wednesday. peter alexander is in vancouver in washington with the latest. good morning to you.

>> reporter: matt, good morning to you. you likely remember this story. bethany storro in that emotional news conference claiming a woman threw acid on her face. later, police tell us she admitted it was all a lie. now, for the first time, we are seeing her without those bandages, this time standing before a judge. inside this courtroom, bethany storro's severe in stricted burns were finally revealed. a face deep red and scarred with only a small bandage on her nose. in her first court appearance, storro pleaded not guilty to three felony theft charges. last month after lying to the public and police claiming an african-american woman approached her on the street and flew acid on herp fac face, she flooded by the community and raised $20,000 to help her. she spent $15,000 of the money.

>> part of the money was spent on meals, red robin train tickets up to seattle. >> i want people to know what this person did to me and the trauma it's caused me. >> reporter: just two weeks after this emotional news conference, police say storro admitted the whole story was a hoax, confessing she repeatedly dabbed her own face with drain cleaner. court papers reveal doctors and detectives were skeptical of storro's story from the start. her burn marks were even as if the acid had been applied, not thrown, there were no splash marks on her body and her clothes and no physical evidence at the scene. her parents apologized for her action and made this promise. >> we will lean on our faith and family and friends and community to get our daughter the medical attention she needs and counseling she deserves. >> reporter: after wednesday's hearing, storro was booked into jail and immediately released, the judge ordering her to follow

the rules of this psychiatric treatment center where storro agreed to stay until her trial is set to begin in december. why did she do it? storro told detectives she wanted to die or at least have a completely different face. >> destroying your face is destroying essentially your identity. now, i look as hurt and damaged on the outside as i feel on the inside. >> reporter: prosecutors say the co-owner of a local fitness center is one of storro's alleged victims who raised and donated hundreds of dollars to help her. >> i think she just needs help. >> reporter: initially storro showed strength amist adversity. >> in time, i'm going to forgive her. >> reporter: now, some of her alleged victims may forgive her, even if the legal system does not. storro's parents say all the donated money will be returned and the bank holding the money has been frozen and say any not returned or picked up by local

individuals will be turned turnover a local burn center. >> peter alexander in washington. thank you very much. just ahead, a college freshman takes his own life after secretly broadcast on the internet having an encounter with another man. two fellow students now charged in that case. we'll have the latest. this is nbc.

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. h all rain out there, the roadways are stacked and pack. >> get out there early so you do not have to rush. eastbound i-seven is shut down

between 29 and the patapsco river bridge. and earlier accident happened at 1:00 a.m. at you can see delays on the topside and west side. 795 towards the beltway. outer loop approaching belair road, watch for a crash. two feet of the standing water at ebenezer. this is another area where flooding is a major issue. this accident just cleared southbound 95 past 195. a new one at west on 100 and 295. the very careful out there. 95 is out of 195, starting to move again after the accident with cleared. this is not moving adult coming down from harford county. two right lanes closed due to a

truck fire. >> periods of heavy rain expect all that long and not getting out until tomorrow morning. extend a line from the city down to annapolis. heavy downpours. it is all part of the remnants of the call and install the front and the low pressure line. as far as rainfall a to a vacation before this is over, we will likely see more than four inches of rain. flash flood warnings in effect for the entire area. there is also a tornado watch until 1:00 this afternoon. the weekend, though, it nice.

my dad is the supervisor of a train station and my mom's a teacher. my dad's an auto technician. my mom's a receptionist. i'm not sure i would have been able to afford college without the tuition freeze. while tuition in other states is rising out of reach... governor o'malley made the tough choice to freeze tuition. he made my dream of going to college into a reality. i'm the first in my family to go to college. my brother and i never would have been able to afford college. even though times were tough... governor o'malley kept his promise.

there's never a doubt... there's never a doubt whose side he's on. martin o'malley... moving maryland forward. ♪ ♪ 7:30 now on a thursday morning. the: 30eth day of september, 2010. wedding day. we have a beautiful tent set up for our guests of loving nature this morning. right now, those guests or some of them are being treated by our singer. we will have more on this inside studio 1a. i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira. you should be a welding singer. >> i have the voice for it. want to hear me now?

>> no. >> later? >> no. >> okay. >> meanwhile, our bride and groom, melissa and jeremy are racing to get ready. jeremy has been in iraq and have been separated during their courtship and get ready. >> they have had a hard time. >> may have. a nude study about mammograms suggest that screening starting at the age of 40 can lower the risk of dying from peace cancer and last year, a study said women should wait until the age of 50. which is it? nancy snyderman gets the study for us. a freshman from rutgers university took his own life after being secretly recorded during an intimate moment. it's been posted on the internet and two students have been charged on this case. our nbc correspondent is live on the campus. good morning to you.

>> reporter: grief counselors have been at work on this campus a week. there's plenty of work to do. a terrible day. the students are all from new jersey. only 18, just began their freshman years, one is dead, the body from the hudson may be his and the lives of the other two have been changed forever. when tyler clementi celebrated his high school graduation this past june, he already won acclaim as a violinist and scholarship he would use at rutgers university. but his roommate, dharun ravi announced on twitter the roommate asked for the room until midnight. i went to molly's room and turn on my webcam and saw him making out with a dude, yea and also broadcast him live over the internet where untold number of viewers could watch. then he allegedly tried to do it again, tweeting, yes, it's happening again. this time it did not work, the

next day a police source told nbc news two witnesses saw clementi jump off the towering george washington bridge to his death. molly he referred to, classmate molly wei have been criminally charged with violating new jersey's privacy laws and could face 3 to 5 years in prison. not enough says privacy expert. >> i think if the prosecutors limit this to just the privacy violations in state law, they're not doing their jobs. >> reporter: clementi's suicide may be the latest tragic teen death linked to the internet and humiliate violations of privacy. last year, 13-year-old hope and 18-year-old jesse logan both took lair lives in separate incidents after nude photos they sected to close friends were forwarded to their classmates. in tyler's death, his accused tormenters face criminal charges. rutgers, like so many schools, continues to struggle with issues of privacy in the internet age.

>> the basic element we have is human nature that can exploit anything to do any number of bad things to other individuals. >> reporter: clementi's family issued a statement calling him a fine young man and distinguished musician. the family is heartbroken beyond words and cooperating fully with the ongoing criminal investigation of two rutgers university students. friends mourn the loss of a young and hopeful talent. >> outside of being an extremely talented musician, tyler was an amazing person who made you feel great and you couldn't help but smile when tyler smiled at you. >> reporter: no comment from molly wei or her lawyer or the lawyer for dharun ravi did tell me yesterday his client is confused and upset and still struggling to understand what happened. both suspects are at home with their families awaiting arraignment. >> mike taibbi on the campus.

thank you very much. a safety expert and the vice president of student affairs at rutgers university, good morning to you both. >> good morning, matt. >> let me start with you. it's obviously a horrible day for students and everyone at rutgers. what is the university doing to deal with this situation? >> the campus is in mourning. we're all very very sad about what has happened to tyler. our heart goes out to his family. there is no greater tragedy than to lose a child. our entire campus mourns with him. >> i know you cannot, because of federal law, speak specifically about the case, but i wonder, has there ever been any kind of similar incident at rutgers? any situation involving such a gross invasion of privacy? >> i've been in higher education 36 years working with students and i have never seen a case like this in that 36 year period. it's highly unusual for a case like this to happen. mostly what happens in our residence hall, students develop

a close-knit trust relationship and attachment to each other. for a student to do this, it violates the trust relationship that usually exists within the residence hall and shocked our entire university. >> tragically or ironically, this was announced on a day the university was announcing something called "project civility" long in the planning, about compassion and courtesy and everyday interactions. there was even a session planned as part of that program called uncivil gadgets, changing technologies and civil behavior. this was not something that wasn't on the radar. >> civility is an issue that the university talks about with our students at all times. it's part of the way we true to build character and help students understand how they interact with one another. there's a lot of ways our students interact on the internet and one another. part of our responsibility as educators is to teach them how that interaction needs to occur with one another and with people

outside the community. >> it's become so easy for people to record just about anything and then stream it online. do you think because of the ease of this, that these young people simply forget this is not only an af front to privacy, it's illegal? >> it's very illegal and more than affront to privacy. we talk about this as privacy issue, it makes me very nervous. >> these are smart kids that got into rutgers and very competitive. they knew it shouldn't happen. it's easy. think about it, technology lets you do it and done. >> there's a charge of a couple of counts of invasion of provides. it could more serious charges be filed? for example, if prosecutors can connecticut the dots directly from this invasion of provides said in recording and streaming online to the suicide of this this young man, could the charge of involuntary manslaughter, i know you're not a prosecutor. >> but a lawyer. i don't think that's going to happen. we looked at that with megan myers case as well.

i think you will see a lot more serious charges especially civil rights charges used by the prosecutor in the phoebe case, the modern way of approaching it. >> a student went online and to told others to log into this and watch this. if unwittingly they did this, could they be accomplice to this? >> no. we're allowed in this country to watch terrible things happen an not report them as long as we don't have a special relationship. we're here far too often to talk about this. it has to stop. i'll help rutgers do it. i have kids who knew him and work with me and knew tyler and knew what a huge loss it is. >> this is an incredible lesson not only about remembering and respecting privacy of others, i know privacy makes you nervous. we are not safe. we have a laptop computer next to you, simply open, has a camera on it, could record this entire conversation or anything else in the room.

>> absolutely. if somebody puts a trojan horse, hacking type program without your knowledge, can turn it on and off when ever they want to, walk oo your bathroom, having sex, a private conversation, you are now on national tv. >> we appreciate your input, both of you. our condolences to everyone at rutgers, and thanks for being with us. a check of the weather now from al. >> today's weather is brought to you by the american cancer society. the official sponsor of birthday. >> good morning. as we take a look at temperatures around the country. good news in california. temperatures have cooled off, more seasonal conditions, 90s in southern texas, hundreds in the desert southwest we normally expected. a little on the chilly side in the great lakes, plenty of sunshine and bad weather along the eastern seaboard with remnants of nicole and a secondary low developed and risk of strong storms, flash flooding and tornado watches in effect

from the carolinas to washington d.c. untild. >> heavy rain all day today, tonight, tomorrow morning. maybe even tornadoes are possible with this tropical on a day like today, you want to keep track of your weatherall day long, go to weath weather.com. >> visitors in las vegas are complaining about getting a lot more sun than they bargained fun. >> it's jokingly called the

death ray. the sun from the hotel is making it hot enough to cinch hair and melt plastic. with its $8.5 billion price tag, the new city center complex is the hottest spot on the las vegas strip. maybe a little too hot. >> i actually thought, my god, we destroyed the ozone layer because i am being burned. >> reporter: bill was laying out by the pool at the vdara hotel when he said the heat from the sun was unbearable. >> my head was steaming hot and my hair was burning and i could smell my hair burning. >> reporter: he ran for cover under an umbrella to get away from the intense heat. he left his newspaper behind and said the rays melted some of the plastic away. >> this was not just uncomfortable, impossible to sit there. you were literally being burned. this is the swimming pool and

where i was seated. >> reporter: he said the sun's rays were bouncing off the vdara hotel and focusing on him, a phenomenon sonoma and solar convergence, the glass heat of the surface of the hotel acts as a parabolic dish and it concentrates the light in a 10 by 15 foot hot zone, moving across the pool area. >> i said to the staff, i said, i don't know if you know what's going on out here, but i was being burned. they're like, yeah, we know, we call it the death ray. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news, a spokesperson for mgm resorts international, the hotel's owner, said the pool staff did receive occasional questions about the elevated questions at the pool area as the convergence moved across the pool deck and offertory relocate guests at other seats on the deck. when a reporter paid a visit to the pool this week, he felt the intensity of the hot zone and guests did, too.

>> this is vegas and people eat and drink at the pool as sport and might fall asleep not knowing they are in a very hot area and get very serious burns. >> reporter: bill said he has no interest in suing the hotel, just wants to make sure no one else gets burned. >> i want them to fix it so nobody does get hurt and everybody can enjoy the pool. >> reporter: the spokesperson for mgm international said they are working with designers with new options, shade structures for guest, more greenery to provide additional shade and umbrellas. with kids around, it could be scary. >> we're laughing about it on one hand but very dangerous. thank you so much. still ahead, jeremy and melissa exchange their vows live on the plaza. up next, the confusion over when women should start getting mammograms. happy birthday to you. ♪ happy birthday to you.

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good morning to you. >> good morning. this is a confusing study, you're right. >> there's so much controversy and confusion. women used to be told get your mam a gram whmogram when they'r now wait until you're 50. now this study. what do you think of it? >> it's telling us science is a moving target and somewhat controversial. this is a study outdoor of sweden basically claims for women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in their 40s with mass screening compared to later, you can cut the death rate by 26%. some in the u.s. are saying not so fast. this is in fact a flawed study. here's what it boils down to, meredith. if you are diagnosed in your 40s with a breast cancer and it's found and i'm diagnosed later in my 50s, you do well and i don't, the assumption is you found

yours earlier and therefore it's better. what we do know is not all breast cancer is the same. perhaps your breast cancer would be found and melt away on its own or found and treated and nothing would happen and mine in fact was a more aggressive tumor. we can't throw them all in the same waste basket. the american cancer society and the american academy of radiology have a book that came out in support of this study. i caution people there is a conflict of interests for both of those organizations. there's big money behind mammography. if you pause for a second and look at some of the people saying it's flawed because everything's lumped together, the american cancer society also made a statement yesterday that if 22 million -- 22 million american women are screened early, starting at the age of 40, that about 2,000 women's lives will be saved. if you're one of those 2,000 women, i understand why it's important. but conversely, that means 21

milli, million 800,000 women have to be screened every year to find the tumors. mammography is not without its consequences. it means the chest is getting radiated every year and the cumulative effects, we don't know for years. i would ask everyone to stand back and pause and remember medicine is individualized. and for those women who couldn't have a risk factors, perhaps you don't need to start at 40, for those women who have strong family hfa family histories or know you have a genetic hitch, talk about when to screen, i wouldn't undo what our task force said last year based on this study. >> the task force said wait until you're 50 if you have no known risk of developing breast cancer. >> that's right. they also said, remember to individualize and talk to your doctor because so much of this screening comes down to individual risk factors, your

own concern and, frankly, the need not to overdiagnose and not to overtreat in society today. >> thank you very much. >> you bet, meredith. >> still ahead, we put america's cheapest family to the test to see if they can help another family slash their grocery bills. 00 miles. it was always... [ laughing ] that seat's not happening without a big miles upcharge. a miles upcharge wasn't part of the deal. was i supposed to go without my wife? [ elevator bell dings ] [ grunting ] haha, that was awkward. so we upgraded to the venture card from capital one. we've had it with the games. [ male announcer ] don't pay miles upcharges. don't play games. get the flight you want with the venture card at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet?

with the venture card at capitalone.com. words alone aren't enough. my job is to listen to the needs and frustrations of the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel or restaurant workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. our job is to listen and find ways to help. that means working with communities. restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work.

and our efforts aren't coming at tax-payer expense. i know people are wondering-- now that the well is capped, is bp gonna meet its commitments? i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right. but basically, i'm a runner. last year. (oof). i had a bum knee that needed surgery. but it got complicated, because i had an old injury. so i wanted a doctor who had done this before. and unitedhealthcare's database helped me find a surgeon. you know you can't have great legs, if you don't have good knees. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. still to come, the tent is set up. the guests are arriving. the musicians are hard at work.

>> melissa and jeremy's wedding live on the plaza. first, the local news. well, max, first day...

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and at walgreens.com. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. time for another check of the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> it is just a mess out there. he will definitely need extra time this morning. the accident and eastbound i.- seven has been cleared. you still have a very heavy delays back to 40. outer loop approaching belair road, we still of the crash and heavy delays on every major roadway.

westbound pulaski highway and ebenezer, watch for heavy flooding. german hill in dundalk, another area where flooding is an issue. patapsco ave is shut down at 895. hollins ferry road inner loop, a new accident reported to us. quarterfield road, watch for a disabled vehicle. this is block of 450. let's give you a live view of traffic. 24, barely living due to an earlier tractor trailer fire. -- barely moving due to an earlier tractor trailer fire. >> we are tracking heavy rainfall across the area. it is on the most west side of the date now. heavy rains expected all throughout the day. in excess of about five inches of rainfall around the area.

we also a flash flood warnings in effect all did. and tornado watch in effect until 1:00 this afternoon. >> be sure to check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. we are back at 8:25. two governors,

two different approaches. even in good times bob ehrlich did not make education a priority. he increased college tuition by 40%, cut school construction by $200 million, and ehrlich voted to eliminate the department of education while serving in congress. but martin o'malley, even in the toughest of times, has made record investments in public schools, new school construction, and o'malley froze college tuition four years in a row. with martin o'malley, our children always come first.

8:00 this thursday morning, september 30, 2010. we are getting ready for weighed on rockefeller plaza and we are not letting this rain dampen the day at all. >> meredith vieira with matt lauer and al rokerroker. they're getting ready in separate rooms and the wedding will take place in about a half hour. >> they did a nice job. >> melissa, i saw her a little

while ago in the makeup room, she's so calm. >> jeremy, climbing the walls. >> remember the cheapest family in america? they're back today and they will help another family cut their grocery bills just about in half, a lot of people across the country could use right now. >> absolutely. a lot more on the special education nation series. this time, meredith's turn to go back to high school. >> and project hope. >> leading the charge for reform. >> sure is. >> first, a check on the news, amy. >> good morning everyone. damaging winds and heavy rain are lashing the east coast today. a state of emergency has been declared in north carolina, where the remnants of tropical storm nicole caused flash flooding wednesday. flooding is possible today as far north as new england and tornado watches are also in effect for some areas. the head of johns johnson & johnson is testifying before congress today about a so-called phantom recall that

started last year. millions of bottles of over the counter medicine after a manufacturing defect was discovered. the company's ceo denied johnson & johnson tried to secretly buy up supplies of children's motrin and tylenol to avoid a public recall and insists the public was never at risk. federal investigators are searching for the cause of a wednesday bus accident outside washington d.c. that killed the driver and injured more than a dozen sightseers including a dozen children. the bus crashed through a highway guardrail and rolled over tumbling down a 45 foothill. 33 chilean miners trapped underground for nearly two months are doing their part to speed up the rescue. new video shows them using heavy machinery to remove debris falling into the the hole rescue them, hopefully sometime in november. the markets this morning and we have news of aig. >> that's right, amy.

shares are moving sharply higher this morning and news is it is moving closer to the independent government, just this morning, the aig and gocht getting close to an exit plan they can convert preferred shares and convert them to common shares. and put them in the market. aig got the biggest bailout, $180 billion with the government taking 80% stake in the company. if all goes as planned, u.s. taxpayers would be repaid in full. >> thank you. the u.s. postal service is expecting approval for its request for a rate hike. if it happens, the price of a first class stamp would go up two pennies to 46 cents. it is 8:03, and time for weather and al. today's weather brought to you by thermacare heat wraps. all day back pain relief without pills, no pills, no pain, just relief.

>> good morning. we have this double barrel low pressure system, the remnants of nicole and another low developed along the coast in des moines, iowa, sunny and pleasant, 72 degrees. rain along the eastern seaboard, tornado watch until 1:00 this afternoon from the carolinas to washington d.c. you see the moisture streaming up here. we have severe weather possibilities later today. look at the rainfall amounts, especially interior sections of the northeast, anywhere from 3 to 7 inches of rain before it's >> heavy tropical downpours all day today. a tornado watch until 1:00. flash flood warnings for the afternoon as well as the coastal

that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you very much. up next, america's cheapest family helps another family cut their grocery bills. and the moment you have been waiting for, melissa and jeremy tie the knot here on rockefeller plaza. try thermacare heatwraps, for all day relief without pills. i was surprised, thermacare worked all day. you feel the heat. and it relaxes and unlocks the muscle. you've got to try it. [ man ] thermacare, more effective for back pain than the maximum dose of acetaminophen, the medicine in tylenol. go to thermacare.com today for a $3 off coupon. thermacare. no pills. no pain. just relief. thermacare. in 2008 i quit venture capital to follow my passion for food. i saw a gap in the market for a fresh culinary brand and launched behindtheburner.com. we create and broadcast content and then distribute it across tv,

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by fidelity investments. turn here. >> we are back now at 8:08. more money saving tips from america's cheapest family. we mean that in the nicest way. they're back this morning to help another family out. they're the authors of "cut your grocery bill in half," the parents of five children. welcome back. enjoying your second day in new york. a lot of folks would like to learn from you and your tips to save money. we have the reeves family that was watching and they want you to help them cut their grocery bill in half. let's take a look at their story. like many moms, lisa reeves is always on the go and so are her three growing kids. >> 15, 16, and 17. >> with growing appetites. >> one little pound of hamburger isn't going to cut it for a family of five. >> the family's grocery bill has gone up by at least 30 or $40 a

week. >> it's creeping up somewhere between 180 to $200 every week on groceries. >> to keep costs down, lisa make hers kids' lunches. >> bottled water, sandwich, fruit, cookies, chips. >> she hunts for bargains. >> the haniford brand is 60 cents cheaper. i am going to go with this one on sale. >> cooks dinner almost every night. >> occasionally we have leftovers. i'm not really a big leftover person. >> when it comes to coupons and big discounts, it's a half hearted attempt. >> if there's a big sale and will i stock up? i will say not usually. >> as far as following the list, not so much. >> i tend to buy things in addition to what's on my list. >> those unplanned food runs are hard to avoid. >> we're at the mall and suddenly, everybody needs something, taco bell or chinese place, burger king, wendy's, you name it, we hit the mall.

>> so lisa is looking for some help. >> i would say in a realistic figure cutting back on my groceries, anywhere from 30 to $50 a week. >> lisa is joining us now by skype. is it called ilacia, new york, did i get it right? >> you did. >> we will get some tips. why don't you tell us what she's doing right. >> you're doing a great job. we want to start with the basics of what you're doing. measuring you're cooking every night, that's a great thing. co making your kids lunches, awesome and saving 30 to 60% on that and we heard, talking with other people, we heard your husband is involved. he knows real men don't just bring home a paycheck, they get involved, fold laundry, wash dishes and mop floors. you have a team started.

you have really good things going for you. >> annette, there are strategies you think she could use to save more money. you're a planning person and think she could use more planning. >> absolutely. there was no mention of planning a menu. that's step number one to save time, mental energy, have a menu plan for the week, even forever it's just for dinner. >> lisa, can you do that? can you plan out a menu a month -- a week ahead or as annette does, a week ahead. >> i do a week ahead. i do it three nights out of five,i think. >> that's a start. >> >> in the piece, she buys bottled water. i thought you would jump out of your chair. that's a no-no in terms of saving money, right? >> there are many ways to get good water to drink. we recommend people buy a good filtration system, do it yourself. wash the bottles out to get rid of the germs.

that can save 60 to $80 a month if you bottle your own water. >> becky and abby, there are three teenagers in the reeves household, what tips would you give them, that they like to eat out, what would you say to them? >> i would say they need to pay for their own fast-food. mom and dad shouldn't have to do that. they're old enough if they have jobs, they should be earning enough they can purchase their food. if they don't have jobs, time to get jobs. >> do you have a part-time job or anything like that? >> i baby-sit and work for my parents but i want one. >> let's talk about these times the reeves family out at the mall, all of a sudden, everybody's hungry. happens to every family. what do they do? go to burger king. what's the suggestion there? >> the suggestion is not go to the mall around a mealtime. make sure you're doing it in between meals, 1:00 to 4:00 or 5:00 or after dinner, 7:00 to

9:00. >> or bring snacks with you. you have a meal plan and you stick to that meal plan and feed your family at home. >> are these tips you feel you can incorporate into your lives? >> yes, i think so. >> one thing i want to share. the list i saw lisa carrying, looked like a sticky note. that was woefully inadequate for a grocery list. we have a free downloadable grocery list on our website. >> the one we use. >> it would help, lisa, if you just were more there or rogue, had a larger list to draw from. >> lisa, what do you think? >> i will look for that. that sounds like a very good idea. >> one other tip. the family showed us yesterday, we didn't actually know it was coming, another way to get free meals. in our greenroom, they basically went to town on buffets, snacks. lisa, basically, anything that

wasn't nailed down. the last tip we have for you is steal food. go to the "today" show. >> lisa, thanks for sharing your family's situation with us. we hope we have managed to help you. >> thank you. >> all right, folks. easy on the greenroom today. they will be back tomorrow and will answer your questions if you have one. head to our website at todayshow.com and we'll get it to them. up next, meredith goes back to high school, right after this. but it's not somethings, that i want to do completely on my own -- i like to discuss my ideas with someone. that's what i like about fidelity. they talked with me one on one, so we could come up with a plan that's right for me, and they worked with me to help me stay on track -- or sometimes, help me get on an even better one. woman: there you go, brian. thanks, guys. man: see ya. fidelity investments. turn here.

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we're back now at 8:18 with more of our special series, "education nation today," meredith, you went back to high school. >> i did.

50% of african-american children drop it of high school each year. leading the promise of new york, the charge to make a change. >> i believe our education system, in some places, education equivalent of katrina. thinking their country's coming to save them and no one comes. that's what i felt as a child. either the kids are getting s t stupider every year or something is wrong in the education. >> this new documentary, "waiting for superman," you talk about it as a child, waiting for superman yourself. >> i just thought, all i have to do is hang on by my fingernails and he will show up. >> and rescue you. >> and he will rescue us. how you doing? >> now, jeffrey's mission is to rescue the children in harlem. in many ways to them, he is superman. >> tell me what you all are doing today. >> he says he's doing it block

by block. >> we can fix the next block and the next block m. >> 97 blocks to be exact. this is the harlem's children's zone. its school, the promise academy, is a charter school in the heart of harlem. >> what do you do about students that don't show up for school? >> if they don't show up, someone's knocking at the door. kids can't learn if they don't come to school. >> jeffrey's school takes a holistic approach to education, providing dental and medical care and social services, even freshly grown food. >> they harvest the food and cook the food and i sometimes eat the food with them. i'm always excited. >> it is symbolic of what you're trying to do with the promise academy. it really is the oasis. >> they're working in their garden. you forget you're dealing with life and death issues in other places. >> come out of a chaotic

environment and a closed setting. >> it kind of feels great, like our own little family. >> if you hadn't come here, do you think you would even be thinking about college right now? >> not really. i probably wouldn't be at school. things are different and more organization, like my fellow classmates. >> in my old school, they would fight us and we didn't do our work. >> you have your own life now, different life? >> you're good, you guys. jeffrey, what is the promise you make to parents? >> you give us your children and i guarantee your child is going to get into college and we will stay with your child through college until they graduate. >> how can you make that guarantee? >> it is the guarantee, i think, you have to make because it puts you squarely on the line. >> canada's pipeline begins as a baby college educating new moms

and dad and it covers kindergarten to high school. >> if you could, would you do away with public schools and make every school a charter school? >> i don't believe charter schools are the answer because a lot are failing. >> studies suggests 1 in 5 charter schools are doing better than public schools. most do about the same. the charters that work tend to be in urban areas. >> i just want to be able to hire great teachers and fire lousy teachers and make sure we get the right leaders. >> you know you will be the first graduate from this school. can you visualize yourselves in caps and gowns? >> i can't wait. >> i plan to go to college and become a doctor. >> i plan to study law. >> i want to be an architect. >> i want to go to college and be an accountant. >> for students like this, it is an uphill battle. her big brother she is very close to, is in prison.

it's messages like this one encourage her dreams do come true. >> do you ever wonder where you would be today without this school? >> dropping out or getting involved with the street. >> my fear, if this wasn't here, would she be a mom? would she be out on drugs? >> you will have a good year this year? okay. can you -- >> poliis mr. canada superman tu in any way? >> he's definitely superman. he's what we needed, who we've been waiting for. >> you're a junior, talking about wesleyan. >> yes. that's my dream. i athleticism determin i'm determined to make it happen. >> their budget is 84 million, tuition is free and there is limited space and tuition is by lottery. jeffrey tells me it's his least favorite day of the year but good news is students who don't attend the school can still

participate in after school programs and 90% of those seniors have already gotten into college. interesting all the students said after one year, they all wanted to leave. it's very hard. >> long school days. >> often going to school on weekends as well, they go to school all year long. their parents said you're not going to. stick it out, stick it out. all those kids graduating next year said they're so grateful now, it really saved them. and that girl is going to wesleyan. she will get in, i bet she will get in. >> we're all excited. >> we need more schools like that. >> absolutely. just ahead, we have a wedding ahead. we hope our bride -- moments ago, how's she feeling? melissa, how are you feeling? you seem so calm? >> i'm doing great, so excited. i think i am pretty calm, trying to keep myself composed. >> did you get any sleep last night? >> very little. i'm going on adrenaline right now. very good.

>> i know the wedding party, everybody doing good, i know you haven't seen jeremy today. everybody else doing well? >> everybody is doing great. they're all so excited. >> the reception will take a few blocks from here at the hudson terrace. natalie is there. getting ready? >> it is absolutely stunning. they just finished putting the finishing touches on this gorgeous cake designed from connecticut. can you believe these flowers are sugar flowers? they look like the whole thing. >> and this stunning backdrop is the hudson credible views on a day. and we can't wait to welcome jeremy and melissa after the wedding. >> back live on the plaza after your local news and weather.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get word on the busy morning commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> we knew there would be potential for water rescues this morning. we are hearing of the first one at essex. we will keep you posted on that. we have had accidents all morning, but look at the delays. yellow everywhere for the most part.

year are the areas where in particular you watch for flooding. westbound pulaski highway at ebenezer, eastern boulevard and martin boulevard, patapsco ave it shut down towards a daughter 95 due to flooding. -- shut down towards 895 due to flooding. let's give you a live look at cited old cordray inner loop delays, not outer loop. jammed on the inner loop approaching the northeast side. >> we will take a look at the radar because it is loaded with the rain. eastern parts toward delaware bay not getting any of this. this is the baltimore beltway right here. there is a severe storm on the eastern shore, and that is because of potential for a tornado or water cloud coming out of this.

there is a tornado warning in effect for kent county until it o'clock to 45. there is the kent county and tornado warning. tornado watch until 1:00 this afternoon. the modified we could get may be up to five inches or so -- the rate we can get maybe up to five inches or so. inches or so.

bob ehrlich's real record on energy. lobbyists helped write utility regulations. we got stuck with a 72% rate hike. but martin o'malley got tough on bge, forcing them to pay back $2 billion to consumers. and what's bob ehrlich been doing the past four years? he got paid $2.5 million at a lobbying firm, a firm representing special interests and casinos right here in maryland. that's bob ehrlich-- a 72% increase for us and $2.5 million from special interests for himself.

nice work, bob. 8:30 now on a thursday morning, the 30th day of september, 2010. around here, it's known as melissa and jeremy's wedding day. just two months ago, they did not even know they'd be getting married here on the plaza and

we're here two months later with the details chosen by our viewers, everything from the cake to rings and eventually the honeymoon and music from the orchestra. >> and we will meet some of them in a few moments as they walk down the aisle. >> we will head down the reception where no detail has been overlooked. wedding planner ex-extraordinary na nair, colin has not overlooked any details. >> some consider this a sign of fertility. >> i think you've just given your forecast. give us a check of the weather for the wedding day. >> there you go. see what's going on. we will show you for today, we are looking at rough weather. for saturday, up and down the eastern seaboard, wet weather in the ohio river valley.

sunny and hot out west. then on sunday, beautiful weather in the northeast, warm wet weather in the northwest and sunny and hot on the west coast >> heavy rain all day today, tonight, tomorrow morning. maybe even tornadoes are possible with this tropical coming up next, melissa and jeremy get married live here on the plaza. first, this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back to rockefeller plaza, where we're celebrating today's wedding, modern love, the wedding you've been planning the last six months is about to begin. melissa and jeremy will exchange their vows on our plaza in a few minutes. >> guests have arrived, they're seated. up at the altar, reverend dr. steve cox will officiate, an old family friend of the mcmillans, a district superintendent with the united methodist church. >> our groom, jeremy gephardt is making his way down the aisle. he is wearing his air force

dress. looks fantastic. just returned from his second tour in afghanistan, on his second tour of duty and currently stationed in alaska and plans to return to missouri, where melissa lives, next spring. >> here are jeremy's parents, cindy and dale gebhardt. they have been married 27 years. they must be so proud. >> absolutely. >> melissa's mom, mary mcmillin is making her way down the aisle with melissa's brother and is a first grade teacher. he's four years older than milissa and just graduated from law school. bret is a senior at rockledge high school and both adore jeremy and melissa and have a close relationship with her. >> the bridal parties starting to make their way down the aisle. the ladies wearing the dresses you voted for.

the men wearing suits by kenneth cole. these are a variation of the suits jeremy will change into for the reception a little later this morning. >> the first pair, one of melissa's maids of honor. she met jermaine 9 first grade and they have been friends of melissa since they were kids, she's a senior of melissa's in virginia. >> the other maid of honor, jeremy is joseph's brother, still in high school. he's a huge nascar fan and hopes to have a door rear in racing. kate is melissa's sorority sister and a roommate at the university of columbia. >> robert met jeremy in first grade and have been friends ever since. amanda is another one of melissa's sorority sisters and roommates, a student at the university of missouri. >> now, we have rye coleman with

kate. he is at the university of missouri studying journalism. we like that. met jeremy in sixth grade. caitlin is a high school friend of melissa's and met in show choir. the little flower girl, abby, is making her way down the aisle now. she is the daughter of melissa's cousin. and she is in the first grade. >> and she is absolutely adorable. >> isn't she cute? ♪ >> and here she is, our beautiful bride we have gotten to know in the last few weeks,

melissa mcmillin, wearing the dress you chose for her. i'm starting to cry. we want to share a secret to you. her bouquet is a personal item and watch from her 90-year-old donna, who couldn't make the trip and her other grandmother's wedding ring that passed away when she was 13. walking her down, her father, he and his wife, celebrated their wedding anniversary this summer. >> jeremy proposed to melissa when rereturned from an attorney in iraq in 2009. it all began with jeremy's video entry to our show, all the way from the second tour of duty in

afghanistan. >> friends, we are gathered in this unlikely place, at this unexpected time, because we wish to bear witness to a moment made holy, as jeremy gephardt and melissa mcmillin enter into the covenant of marriage. we believe marriage is a sacred covenant between two people that mirr mirror's god's love for us and our relationship with jesus christ. that is not just a celebration of love, a commitment to a lifetime of faithfulness and loyalty, one to the other. jeremy and melissa, you do not make your vows alone, you stand in the presence of god. you are surrounded by your parents, your family, your friends. troops in afghanistan and thousands of others, who are cheering you on today, even though you will never meet them. each of us is committed in our own way, to support and encourage you. so who gives melissa to be married to jeremy? >> her mother and i.

>> jeremy and melissa, i suspect you have wondered about this moment for much of your lives. when you were younger, you may have dreamed of a perfect person, one who was just the rite height or had just the right color hair. one who was a great athlete or elegant dancer. and then you met each other, and you put aside all those dreams because reality -- because reality was so much better than what you had. or recently, you may have wondered about this wedding, about where it would be, about what you would wear, about what your rings would look like, about what the weather would look like. and, again, except for the weather, your dreams have been cast aside, because reality is so much better than what you

thought. it's just as well. because it is likely that whatever you imagined about this moment, about your marriage, will never measure up to what you are about to encounter. i'd like you to turn and face each other so you might see clearly into each other's eyes. join hands so your pulse might become one and now proclaim before god your vows that will transform and sustain you in life. jeremy. >> melissa, in the name of god, i take you to be my wife, i will love you on the good days and on the bad, whether we live in wealth or in poverty. i will love you whether we are near or apart. when we are young and we are old. i love and i cherish who you are and who i am when i miss you. i pledge to always remain with you. >> melissa.

>> jeremy, in the name of god, i take you to be my husband. i will love you on good days and in bad, whether we live in wealth or in poverty, in good health or in illness. i will love you when we are far apart and when we are sitting close, while we are young and when we are old. i love and cherish who you are and who i am with you. i love you and i pledge to always remain with you. >> well done. may i have the rings, please? the wedding ring is a simple yet elegant representation of a much more complex reality. it has no beginning, it has no end. signifying to us the eternal love that bears all things, believes all things, and hopes all things. the one who wears it declares to all that he or she has been

captured by the enduring love of another. jeremy. >> i offer you this ring to show you i love you, i believe in you, i pledge to always remain with you. >> my fingers are sweaty. >> melissa. >> jeremy, i offer you this ring to show you that i love you, i believe in you and i will always remain with you. >> in as much as jeremy and melissa have taken their stand in this place, in the presence of god, with us as their witness, and have done so by sharing holy vows, by joining hands and by giving and receiving a ring, i announce they are husband and wife together, in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit. god has joined you together, may

no person and no distance ever separate you. let us pray. gracious god, we give you thanks for your tender love, that calls us into loving relationships. please send your blessing upon jeremy and melissa on this day and on the covenant they have just made. bless them in their work and companionship and sleeping and waking and in their joyce and sorrows, in their living and in their dying. may you constantly be at their side to guide and protect them along the way, in the name of christ, we pray, amen. you may kiss. >> it is my pleasure to be the first to announce you to, mr. and mrs. jeremy gephardt.

>> there they are, our beautiful bride and groom. melissa is 21. she turns 22 tomorrow. i think this whole day will count as her birthday present. jeremy is already 22. they were separated six months while he was in afghanistan and now they are together forever. congratulations. >> congratulations! >> thank you so much. >> so, mr. and mrs. gephardt. >> yes. >> we want to remember all the way back to your video you sent us, jeremy. and one of the things you said to us, melissa, i can't wait for the day i'm mrs. gephardt. how does it feel. >> i am so excited. it's about time. >> you were in afghanistan for a lot of these plans. what does this day mean to you? >> it's been such a long time coming and melissa deserves it more than anyone in the world. i'm so happy she was able to share this with me and everyone

here. it's beautiful. >> your family must be so excited. they have long running marriages and you have excellent role models. >> we do. we will definitely look to them for advice. we're so excited they got to share all of this with us. >> i have to give everyone at home a hand. you look so beautiful with everything they selected. they did a great job. >> we're so pleased. >> even the ring you managed to put on your sweaty finger. >> i know. it all came together. >> sit tight for a second. stop and relax and enjoy the moment. we will take a break and come back. we have some business to attend to. i think you will like it. we're back with melissa and jeremy, mr. and mrs. gephardt on their wedding day. jeremy, mr. and mrs. gephardt on their wedding day. first, this is "today" on nbc.

four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies.

then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle class marylanders do. i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message. the real andy harris. buried in his website - a promise to replace the tax code with a 23% sales tax and eliminate the mortgage interest deduction. a bush tax panel said families would pay $6,000 more a year. a reagan tax advisor calls it a very dumb idea. but that's not his only bad idea. harris was the only senator to vote against expanding the child care tax credit and against the state's cancer treatment program. andy harris' extreme ideas will cost us. we're back on the wedding

day, this thursday morning, the 30th day of september, 2010, melissa and jeremy's wedding day. they are now mr. and mrs. gephardt after a beautiful ceremony on the plaza, despite inclimate weather. it doesn't seem bad. we're back with guests and the groom. >> we just got married! >> it went so fast. >> one of the things we like to do on "today" is take a moment. we get to know you over the course of a couple of weeks and we would like to propose a toast to you just after your marriage. if we can hand everybody a glass of champagne. there you go. perfect. so, melissa and jeremy, i'm sure the last couple of weeks seems like a blur to you, so much has happened to plan for this wedding in such a short period of time. the truth of the matter is when it comes to your relationship

and getting you both to this day, it's taken more time, it's taken great patience and a lot of nurturing. >> from the day jeremy first laid eyes on you, calling you the prettiest girl in the room, to the day you finally agreed to a date. from a blossoming relationship to romance put on hold due to two separate tours of duty in war torn countries, allowed this relationship to mature at its own pace and it has paid off. >>, of cours >>, of course, melissa, you are studying to be a nurse, which shows your kindness and compassion and jeremy, with your service to our country, you put that above all else. we thank you. >> when you think about it, kindness and compassion and commitment and willingness to sacrifice for others, what better qualities could two people have as they enter into a marriage. we would like to raise a glass and toast you on the path you've taken and to the road that lies ahead. congratulation credits.

>> thank you so much. >> to melissa and jeremy, everybody! >> another piece of business we have. do you know about that? >> yesterday, we talked about four beautiful honeymoon locations. the voters have been at it again overnight. we will take a break and when we come back, we will get to check out what they selected, where you will be going. "today" on nbc.

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i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message so you'll know i'm fighting for you. we are back with jeremy and melissa. i'm so proud of you. natalie is with the reception. everything in good shape? >> the rain couldn't have stopped in more perfect time. this is the beautiful hudson terrace. the river views just spectacular right now. take a look around me. this setting is spectacular, keeping in theme with our modern love scene. colin cowie helped design this location and one of two levels we are celebrating melissa and jeremy's wedding and their wedding party as they arrive. colin cowie put all these

incredible touches from place settings to flower arrangements to all the personal touches, absolutely couldn't be more perfect. we can't wait for the party to get started. i'm sure melissa and jeremy are making their way over here and family members. we can't wait for them to arrive. >> actually, they're still with us. we have one more piece of news. >> it really is a gorgeous setting. i want to know what kind of food they have. are you guys hungry? you must be starving. >> if you're a normal bride, you haven't eaten in two weeks. >> much more ahead on this thursday morning, even as the music continues on the plaza, we'll talk about the honeymoon you have selected for melissa and jerimony -- i keep saying jerimona. right after this local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get an update on the weather or the john collins. >> lots and lots and lots of rain. we are getting moderate to heavy rain now. harford county, severe thunderstorm warning in effect until 9:30 because of this activity. switch to our other radar view. you will see all this moisture from the south. the tropical moisture reaches all the way down into the carolinas. a long, wet day today. this is what the forecast is all

about. temperature's only warm a couple more degrees. more degrees. orined tabor's off tonight and my dad is the supervisor of a train station and my mom's a teacher. my dad's an auto technician. my mom's a receptionist. i'm not sure i would have been able to afford college without the tuition freeze. while tuition in other states is rising out of reach... governor o'malley made the tough choice to freeze tuition. he made my dream of going to college into a reality. i'm the first in my family to go to college. my brother and i never would have been able to afford college. even though times were tough... governor o'malley kept his promise. there's never a doubt... there's never a doubt whose side he's on. martin o'malley... moving maryland forward.

>> flooding has been a major issue on the roads. we will let you know where to avoid the problems. there is a water rescue taking place. another one northpoint at old battle grove road. westbound pulaski highway and ebenezer, eastern boulevard and martin boulevard, northpoint and german hill. >> another weather update at 9:25.